Online Learning
Materials
Academic
Session-2077
Grade:10
English
Unit 2
Reporting
Statements
Day 5
Reading Task: A
Lesson: 1 Time: 60 Minutes
Full Marks:
23 Pass Mark: 10
Scene Setting
Meaningful and
effective textbook reading is a key study skill for student success.
Probably every class makes you read them. “Makes” is the right word here.
“requires,” “forces,” or “insists” can also work. Only a few people read
textbooks unless they have to. If you read textbooks for fun, please write me an email. I need to
interview you because I don’t think you exist! Ha ha…!
Reading textbooks is truly weird. That’s right – weird. Granted, we all have to read them.
But even you bookworms – the kinds of people who devour the Twilight books in
one week, or Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games books – know that textbooks are
a bit weird.
Think about it. Textbooks are the only books you read today
that have pictures on nearly every page (Dr. Seuss fans excluded). In fact,
should you be forced to read a textbook without pictures, you are in real
trouble. Those books get seriously tough. Nevertheless, understanding how to read a textbook is vital.
The goal of a textbook is nothing more than
to inform and educate.
The goal of the Harry Potter books is very different. Novels
tell stories. Textbooks communicate ideas through explanations of information.
Because of this, you need a different strategy for reading textbooks. Follow
these four easy steps to get on your way.
1.
Don’t read front to back (aka, READ BACKWARDS)
Reading a textbook chapter front
to back ensures that you will waste time.
I know it’s counter-intuitive to not read a book front to back, but don’t do
it. Mystery novels stink when you read the back first, as do good thriller
movies. If you read the last page of a Sherlock Holmes novel before you read
the story, it’ll be lame. If you know Bruce Willis is dead, don’t watch the 6th
Sense.
But textbooks are rarely building to a suspenseful twist at
the end. I promise. I’ve
read a lot. They don’t come with surprise endings. “And then, Abraham Lincoln
dodged the bullet!” Yep, that’s never going to be in a textbook.
Try reading your textbook chapter in this order:
1.
Go to the questions at the end first. Read them,
answer them to the best of your ability, and then begin your actual reading
strategies. This will sort of “prime the engine” of retention.
2.
Next, read the final summary of the chapter. This
will give you a general background as to the Big Ideas in the chapter.
3.
Third, look at the headings and subdivision of the
chapter.
4.
Fourth, read the chapter introduction.
From that point you can then work through the chapter from
front to back. By taking this out-of-order strategy, you are focusing not on
the chronological order, but rather connecting the ideas found in the chapter
together. This is infinitely more important than reading things in the order they
were written.
2.
Read for Big Ideas
Textbooks are extremely thorough. You, while needing
thoroughness, are not going to be able to absorb every tiny detail found in a
chapter. You have to focus on what’s most important. Textbooks are great because they explain those Big
Ideas in context, but make sure you don’t get lost in the minutiae. Read
for the Big Ideas first and foremost and you’ll be able to sift through the
mountain of information available.
In textbooks, Big Ideas are easy to spot because they are
often in bold print or section headings. Look for the complete
sentence thought that summarizes and drives each subdivision and
you’ll have identified the Big Ideas.
3. Read for Key Details
Big Ideas need support. Otherwise, they’re just opinions.
After you identify each Big Idea, make note of the supporting details, reasons and examples,
that fill out and help the Big Idea make sense.
While this looks different in each subject, they should be
relatively easy to pick out. Key
people, places, and events often make up the key details in history books.
Grammar rules are important details frequently in grammar books. For languages, vocabularies are
some of the most important key details of the chapter. Check your notes
against the questions at the end of the chapter. If they reflect the same key
details, you know you are barking up the right tree.
4.
Read the book once but your notes multiple times
You should never have to read a chapter more than once (in
theory). If you’ve done your reading well and taken notes as you read, you have
a record of the thoughts being communicated.
Granted, it takes a while to adapt to this approach. Don’t
be upset if you have a time of adjustment before being able to read a chapter only
once.
But if you put in the work now to get used to reading a
textbook more effectively, consider the time you’ll save in the long-run. We
promise you’ll see the benefits quickly. For those of you who are already using
this type of active textbook reading strategy, congratulations on making the
honor without losing your social life. By Skylar
Anderson
Situation. There has been a debate competition in Gaurishankar
Higher Secondary School. Amrit Timilsina is the Master of Ceremonies (MC).
Karma and Kabita are the speakers in the final round of the debate.
Task: Read the
transcriptions of the debate below, and note some important points Karma and
Kabita presented to support their opinion. For the motion: Using a single
language is better than multiple languages
Mr. Chairperson,
respected teachers, and friends!
I would like to thank Mr.
Timilsina for giving me an opportunity to express my opinion on the burning
issue ‘the fewer the languages there are, the easier the life will be’.
Every year, several languages die out. Some people think that life will be
easier if there are fewer languages in the world. I support this view. As we
know, the development of recent technology has a significant
role to create a global village. People from any part of the world can
communicate easily through the Internet. Due to the international importance of
the English language, most people are reluctant to use their first
language and are learning English. This shows that people prefer learning the
language that helps them to communicate in the global village to their own
language. Mr. Chairperson, using the same language would certainly aid
understanding and global fraternity. People can communicate with one another
without any problems. It unites all the people as global citizens. If everyone
speaks the same language, there will be a clear understanding between not only
countries but also people throughout the world. It would promote learning, the flow
of information, and ideas. For example, students don’t have to translate the
text into their mother tongue to understand. Ladies and gentlemen, economic
growth is also possible by using a single language as it can minimize various
costs such as the cost of communication, translation, interpretation, etc. We
won’t need interpreters in international conferences, seminars, and workshops.
Participants can easily express whatever they like in the language of common
understanding. Thus, it can minimize communication barriers and help
international business, resulting in a healthier world economy.
Not only this, if a
language is intelligible for all, but members of security forces can also easily
investigate and understand national and international criminal plans. It may
help in solving international and intercultural security problems too. To
conclude, I strongly claim that using a single language as a lingua franca
strengthens our fraternity, integrity, security, and global understanding, in
addition to helping international business and economy.
Thank you!
Against the motion: Using
multiple languages is better than a single language
Mr. Chairperson,
respected teachers, and friends!
Thank you, Mr. Timilsina
for giving me this platform to present my view on the issue. As we know every year
several languages die out. With their death, the knowledge inherent there dies
too. Though the previous speaker argued that the fewer the languages are, the
easier life will be, I strongly disagree with his arguments.
Mr. Chairperson, language
influences
our thought and our thought influences the reality of the world around us. It means we perceive the
world as per our linguistic background. The language also carries the culture. Cultural
and linguistic diversity have a reciprocal relationship. Therefore, there are
obvious disadvantages to having only one global language. Firstly, it would
mean that all other languages would eventually disappear and, along with them,
their cultures too. Each culture is unique with its own way of life and own
perspective of the world. Cultural diversity boosts tourism because it attracts
tourists from different parts of the world. The loss of languages results in
the loss of cultures and the loss of cultures leads to the collapse of the
tourism industry because there would be no reason to travel for pleasure and
interest if, all over the world, we have the same language and similar
cultures. This finally leads to the decline in the national economy of the countries
which rely on the tourism
industry.
Mr. Chairperson, using
fewer languages also creates identity problems. The ethnic groups without their
own language and culture lose their linguistic and cultural identity. Variety
in literature is only possible through linguistic and cultural differences. It
is impossible if we have a single global language. Likewise, each language has
its own taste and own distinct quality. For example, the Sanskrit language is
said to have a musical quality. All these qualities get lost if people start
using a single language all over the world. Furthermore, the fewer the
languages are in use, the less the vocabulary in practice. Therefore, the less
vocabulary in practice, the less imaginative and creative work is possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, I
would like to ask Karma if he could understand all the varieties, i.e. dialects
of his mother tongue. As we know, even the dialects are often unintelligible to
all speakers of the same language. Then, how can we think about the use of
a single language all over the world? Is it practical? Is it possible? I think debating
on such an issue is just a waste of time.
Thank you!
1. Vocabulary in use
I. Find the following words in the text above in their own
context as given in the example below. [6]
Example: Significant: important
a) degeneration …………………
b)perspective ………………
c)disappear ………………..
d) unintelligible …………………
e) promote ………………
f) investigate ………………..
II. Make sensible sentences of your own using the
words in the above question as in the example below. [6]
Example:
Word in the context: As we know, the development in recent technology has a significant role to create a global
village. People from any part of the world can communicate easily through the
Internet.
III. Devour the underlined words below, and find out their meanings in the context.
i)
Because of Jack’s fear, Sangina was reluctant to tell the truth.
So she told a lie.
ii) The teachers had a joint conference with the students. They had
planned to discuss the existing issues of classroom teaching.
iii) Towering mountains have formed a natural barrier between China
and Nepal.
iv) The understanding between people develops a feeling of fraternity in a society.
v) The company has continued to flourish
over the years. It has made a great success.
vi) The Nepali language is the lingua franca in Nepal. It is used
as a common language by different linguistic groups.
IV. Find the following words in the text above, and underline
their best synonyms next to them from the given alternatives. The first one has been done for you. [5]
a) determine:
fix on;
discover; influence
b) diversity: difference; similarity; variety
c) inherent:
intrinsic; extrinsic, built-in
d) integrity: togetherness; incompleteness; entirety
e) dialect:
standard form; vernacular language; regional variety
f)
reciprocal: interactive; complementary; one-way
2. Reading comprehension
i. Read the texts again, and answer these questions. [6]
I) What do Karma and Kabita claim?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
ii)
Which language is supposed to have a musical quality?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
iii)
What brings variety in literature?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
iv)
What can minimise communication barrier?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
v)
Write down any three benefits
of having fewer languages.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
vi)
Mention any three benefits
of having many languages in the world.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................
Note: Please use a
separate Notebook for all your tasks or A4
size paper well-managed in a portfolio/file in the same order of
the units and tasks for submission and evaluation
later.
Relevant Link
The End
Compiled, Edited and Prepared by Jaya Narayan Bhusal
Department of English
